Vending-machine.



W. T. WILKINSON.

Patented 051;. 31,1916.

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VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.l4, l9l5- I 1,203,439; Patented 00 31,1916.-

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WILLIAM T. WILKINSON, 0F LINDSAY, CALIFORNIA.

VENDING-MACHIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

Application filed December 14, 1915. Serial No. 66,788.

To all whom it may conccm:

Be it known that I, l VILLIAM T. WILKIN- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lindsay, in the county of Tula-re and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved vending machine of the coin controlled type and the principal object of the invention is to provide a vending machine having an improved type of feeding mechanism for delivering packages from the machine and to further provide improved means whereby the operation of the feeding mechanism may be controlled by the use of a coin of the proper size.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the feeding mechanism that while one package is being fed out of the machine, the remaining packages in the machine will be held in place.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the coin controlled mechanism that the coin will serve as means for pushing the latch carrying strip to a releasing position, an extension of the feeding mechanism serving to retain the coin in place while the latch is being released.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the character described which will be comparatively simple in construction, easy to operate and not liable to readily get out of order.

This invention is illustrated in the 'accompanying drawings, wherein 1- Figure 1 is a view showing the improved coin cont-rolled vending machine in front elevation. Fig. 2 is a view showing the coin controlled vending machine in vertical section along the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to the view in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but taken through the package holding portion of the machine. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the vending mechanism. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view showing the means for moving a package off of the slide after it has been removed from the package chute.

The housing or casing 10 is provided with a vertically extending transverse partition 11 dividing the same into the two compartments l2 and 13, the compartment 12 being provided with the partition 14 forming the inner wall of the package chute or receptacle 15. The cover 16 is hingedly mounted as shown at 17 and is provided with an opening 18 to receive the coin chute or tube 19. This coin tube 19 communicates with the chute 20 in compartment 13 and it will thus be seen that when the cover is fastened by the lock 21, coins may be fed into the chute 20.

In order to support the packages 22 in the receptacle 15, there has been provided a Slide or closure plate 23 which is slidably mounted as clearly shown in Fig. 3 and provided with a tongue or finger 24 extending beneath the coin chute 20 when the slide is in its normal position shown in Fig. 4. This slide is provided with pins 25 passing through openings formed in the slide and having their lower ends pivotally connected with the anchor 26 slidably connected with the slide plate by means of cross bars or strips 27 carried by the longitudinally extending strips 28. -When the slide is moved inwardly, the pins 25 will engage the lower package 22 and prevent the slide from moving without carrying the package with it. As the package moves to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4, the pins 29 which are pivotally connected with partition 14 and braced by the tie rods 30, will engage the package thus preventing the package from moving back with the slide when the slide returns to the normal position. Of course, when the slide returns to the normal position, the pins 25 by engaging the package 22 which has dropped to take the place of the package removed, will be turned so that they can slip beneath the package without interfering with the movement of the slide. 7 that when the slide moves to the dotted line position a small portion of it will extend to engage the packages in the chute l5 and thus prevent the packages from dropping out of the chute. At the same time that the pack age is being moved out of the chute 15, the tongue 24 will be moved from beneath the coin chute thus permitting the coin to drop into the money box. A door 31 is provided for this money box.

A plunger 32 is connected with the slide 23 and is provided with a socket 33 to receive the outer end of the spring 34 serving to yieldably hold the plunger and slide in the normal or outer position. A block 35 is secured to one side face of plunger 32 beneath It is of course obvious the wall 36 of the coin chute 20 and carries the two plates 37 and 38, the plate 37 being a latch plate and the plate 38 being a cam plate. This latch plate 37 is engaged by the free end of the latch pin or strip 39 which passes through the slot 36 in the wall 36. This latch pin 39 is mounted in the groove or seat 40 and is connected with the resilient strip 41 secured in the coin chute 20 by means of cleats 12. It should be noted that the latch pin is loosely connected with this strip adjacent the free end thereof so that it may have a certain amount of vertical movement in the seat 10. It should be further noted that the lower edge of the seat 40 is out at such a depth that when the latch pin is resting upon the lower edge, it will strike the side face of the latch plate 37 and therefore cannot move to prevent movement of th plunger. WVhen however the plunger is moved inwardly, the cam plate 38 will engage the latch pin andswing it upwardly.

The resilient strip 41 can then move the pin to engage the side face of the latch plate where it will be in a position to move to a locking position and prevent the plunger from moving inwardly again after it has been moved outwardly by the spring 34.

In order to move the latch pin to the inoperative position, it is necessary to place a coin in the tube 19 so that the coin will pass into the coin chute and drop upon the tongue 24 between the free ends of the resilient strip a1 and resilient strip 13 which is secured in the coin chute by means of cleats a l. The plunger 45 which carries a cam 46 will then be pressed inwardly, the cam moving the resilient strip &3 as indicated by dotted lines and through the medium of the coin moving the strip 4.1

to draw the latch pin out of engagement with the latch plate. It is not necessary to keep the finger upon the plunger as as the pin 39 will drop to the bottom of the seat 40 and when the plunger 45 is returned to its normal position, by spring 47, the latch pin when moved by spring strips 41 will strikethe side of the latch plate and prevent the latch pin from interfering with the free movement of the plunger. The plunger 32 can then be pressed inwardly to move the slide plate 23 to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. a. This will remove one of the packages from the chute or receptacle 15 and at the same time the tongue 2 1 will be moved from beneath the coin chute thus permitting the coin to drop into the coin box. The plunger 32 will then return to the normal position. Of course, while the plunger is moving inwardly, the cam plate 38 will raise the latch strip or pin 39 so that it can return to the locking position when the plunger moves outwardly.

'When it is necessary to refill the machine, the lock 21 can be released and the cover ing, a partition dividing said casing intoa plurality of compartments, one of said compartments being provided with a package chamber and the secondcompartment being provided with a. coin chute, said coin chute having a wall provided with a slot, a discharging plate slidably mounted in said partition and when in its outermost position extending beneath said package receptacle and coin chute, a plunger carried by said plate, a latch plate carried by said plunger and positioned upon one side of the wall of said coin chute, a cam plate carried by said plunger and positioned upon the opposite side of the wall of said coin chute, resilient strips mounted in said coin chute and having their lower end portions free, the inner wall of said coin chute being provided with a transversely extending groove form ing a seat communicating with the slot in the wall of the coin chute, a latch pin loosely connected with the free end portion of one of said resilient strips and having its free end portion extending through the slot in' the wall of the coin chute to engage said latch plate, and a plunger provided with a cam element for engaging the second resili ent strip to move the same to actuate the free end portion of the first mentioned resilient strip through'the medium of a coin placed between the strips in the coin chute and draw the latch pin to an inoperative position, said latch pin dropping to the bottom of said seat and said cam plate returning the latch to the raised position when the first mentioned plunger is moved inwardly.

2. A vending machine comprising a casing, said casing having a package receptacle and a coin chute provided with a wall having a slot therein, a discharging plate slidably mounted in said casing, a plunger carried by said plate, resilient means engaging said plunger to yieldably hold the same in an extended position with the discharging plate positioned beneath said package receptacle 7 and coin chute, resilient strips in said coin chute, a latch pin connected with one'of saidstrips andpermitted of vertical movement thereon and having its free. end portion ex tending through the slot of the wall of the coin chute, a latch plate carried by said plunger for engaging said latch pin, means for moving the second resilient strip to engage a coin placed between the resilient strips and move the first mentioned resilient strip through the medium of the coin to draw the latch pin out of an operative position, said latch pin when drawn to the inoperative position moving downwardly, and a cam plate carried by said plunger for engaging the free end portion of said latch pin when the plunger is moved inwardly and raise the latch pin to the original position.

3. A vending machine including a casing having a coin chute provided with a slotted wall, and a coin controlled dispensing mechanism comprising a slidably mounted plunger, means yieldably holding said plunger in an extended position, a plate carried by said plunger and extending beneath the coin chute when the plunger is in the extended position, resilient strips mounted in said coin chute and having free lower end portions, a latch plate carried by said plunger and extending upon one side of the wall of said coin chute, a latch pin carried by the free end portion of one of said resilient strips and normally extending through the slot in the wall to engage said latch plate, said latch pin being loosely connected with said strip to permit vertical movement of the pin, a cam plate carried by said plunger for engaging the free end portion of said latch, and means for moving the free end portion of the second resilient strip whereby the first mentioned resilient strip may be moved through the medium of a coin placed between the strips to draw the latch pin to an inoperative position.

l. A vending machine comprising a casing, and coin controlled dispensing means in said casing, said dispensing means including a coin chute, resilient strips mounted in said coin chute and having free lower end portions, a latch connected with the lower end portion of one of said strips and capable of vertical movement, a plunger, a supporting plate carried by said plunger and extending beneath said coin chute when the plunger is in an extended position, a latch plate carried by said plunger, said latch pin when in an operative position extending to engage said latch plate and prevent inward movement of said plunger, means for moving the second resilient strip for moving the first mentioned resilient strip through the medium of a coin placed between the two strips and draw the latch pin to an inoperative position, said latch pin moving downwardly when in the inoperative position, and a cam carried by said plunger for engaging the free end portion of said latch. pin to return the same to the raised position when said plunger is moved inwardly.

5. A vending machine including a casing having a coin chute, and coin controlled mechanism including slidably mounted actuating means, resilient strips in said coin chute, a latch carried by one of said strips and extending toward said actuating means, said actuating means being provided with a latch plate and a cam plate, the latch plate engaging the latch pin to prevent inward movement of the actuating means when the latch pin is in an operative position, means for moving the second resilient strip whereby the second resilient strip may through the medium of a coin move the first mentioned strip to draw the latch pin to an inoperative position, said latch pin being loosely connected with the resilient strip and dropping downwardly when in the inopera-' tive position and said cam plate serving to return the latch pin to the raised position when the actuating means is moved inwardly.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAlVI T. WILKINSON.

WVitnesses: I J. G. RINKER, L. G. STALLINGS.

Jopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

